“4S RANCH — Maranatha Christian High School in 4S Ranch launched a science project into space as part of a NASA experiment. Students formed a team to work on NASA’s request for proposal to develop an inexpensive, light weight, energy efficient, carbon dioxide sensor for use in future missions, such as to Mars.

Maranatha‘s team simulated a small high tech company to produce the sensor for NASA.

The student’s experiment is aboard NASA’s Falcon X rocket that left Cape Canaveral Florida on March 1.

Nine students worked together to create the experiment’s physical, mechanical and software design and create the design of the circuit board. To save space and reduce cost, the experiment had to fit inside a 12 centimeter long tube, called the Micro-Lab.

After the space capsule docked with the International Space Station, an astronaut started monitoring the experiment and sending back live data to students, who communicate via Skype with the astronaut.

Six other schools from across the country are also sending up experiments to the space station.”